By now you've probably heard the news. After months of rumors, the Yankees finally traded for Bobby Abreu yesterday afternoon. Not only that, but they get to have their cake and eat it to as the deal also brought them back-of-the-rotation starter Cory Lidle, satisfying the team's need for both another big bat and a viable fifth starter. And all it cost them was a quartet of expendable minor leaguers. More on the identities of those four at the end of this post, but first let's take a look at the two players the Yankees have acquired.

Bob Kelly Abreu is exactly a month and a half older than Derek Jeter and arrives in New York with a career hitting line of .301/.412/.507. Here's a complete list of active players who have hit at least .300/.400/.500 on their careers (minimum 1200 plate appearances, or three full seasons) along with their current ages:

*Bonds' career average just dipped to .299, but he deserves inclusion anyway
**Helton is more than six months older than Abreu

The Yankees have just acquired the third-youngest established .300/.400/.500 hitter in baseball.

That said, the key to appreciating Bobby Abreu's talent is understanding that, despite his company above, he is not a home run hitter. To wit, here are the career home run totals for the four youngest players on the above list (career plate appearances per home run in parentheses)

Rather, Abreu's greatest strength is his ability to get on base. Only five players with a minimum of 1200 plate appearances reached base more often than Abreu over the last three seasons (2003-2005). Of those five (Bonds, Helton, Pujols, Berkman and J.D. Drew), only Albert Pujols currently has a higher on-base percentage than Abreu, who ranks fifth in the majors with a .427 mark. Notice that Jason Giambi's name didn't pop up anywhere in there? Bobby Abreu is a bigger on base threat than the man whose bones repel baseballs out of the strike zone.

Then there's what Abreu does once he's on base. Only eight men have stolen more bases over the last three years than Abreu, and Alfonso Soriano, Jimmy Rollins, Jose Reyes, Johnny Damon and Tony Womack are not among them. Here are those eight and Abreu along with their stolen base totals and success rates:

Get the picture? Despite his bulky appearance (Abreu reminds me of a left-handed version of Sammy Sosa or Jose Canseco when he's at the plate) and his 2005 Home Run Derby crown, Bobby Abreu is actually more of a lead-off type. He gets on base at a staggering rate and is a prolific and successful base stealer once there (he's 20 for 24 on the bases thus far this year, good for an 83 percent success rate). That he also happens to hit about 20 home runs every year is a compliment to those core abilities.

It is for that reason that I'm undisturbed by Abreu's recent power failure. In 174 games since last July 4, Abreu has hit just 14 home runs and slugged just .416. Over that same stretch, however, he's reached base at a .402 clip and stolen 30 bases at a 77 percent success rate. He's still doing the things that make him valuable to his team.

Then again, he's hit just .255/.385/.384 outside of the hitter-friendly Citizen's Bank Park over that stretch and is coming off a dreadful July in which he's hit just .250/.313/.367 in all parks. Ask the Phillies fans who never did appreciate the fact that he was one of the best hitters in all of baseball during his eight-plus seasons in Philadelphia and they will tell you that his victorious Home Run Derby performance last July ruined his swing. His .300/.444/.550 April and last year's .320/.419/.510 August prove that theory false, though one does have to hope that a change of scenery will be able to revive Abreu's bat. To that end, though the left-handed Abreu hits equally to all fields and the bulk of his deep fly outs actually go the opposite way, it won't hurt that the right field foul pole in his new home park is 16 feet closer to home plate than the one in his old home park, or that the left field foul pole is 11 feet closer.

As for how Abreu will work his way into the Yankee line-up, after taking Larry Bowa's number 53 he should be inserted into one of the top three spots. Given Derek Jeter's tremendous season, it's tempting to put Abreu second and push Jeter down to the three-spot, but one could also stagger the line-up's lefties by going with something like this:

That order also gives the Yankees an average of 20 steals from each of their top three hitters, with Rodriguez with nine swipes of his own from the clean-up spot (never mind that Giambi and Posada are a perfect 3 for 3 on the bases this season).

Abreu will replace the part-time platoon of Bernie Williams and Aaron Guiel in right field. Abreu does not have the greatest defensive reputation, and his Rate stats support the fact that he's below average, but he's a sure improvement on poor old Bernie and brings a strong throwing arm to go with his foot speed. With Abreu and Cabrera, the Yankees suddenly have a pair of strong throwing corner outfielders.

Exactly what the Yankees have in store for Bernie, Guiel, and now-sixth outfielder Bubba Crosby remains to be seen. Likely either Guiel or Crosby will be demoted to make room for Abreu on the roster, while we might see more of Jason Giambi in the field and Bernie at DH in the near future, knowing Joe Torre's inability to keep Bernie on the bench.

I wouldn't mind seeing that against lefties, actually, as Andy Phillips hasn't hit southpaws one bit this season (.195/.235/.247) and Bernie has hit them a ton (.327/.397/.505). In fact, that gap is so large that I wouldn't even mind seeing this set-up when Chien-Ming Wang is on the mound. Against righties, meanwhile, Torre might want to give some thought to giving Aaron Guiel (.220/.343/.508 vs. righties) some starts in right while bouncing Abreu to DH, as Guiel is an above average fielder and has had greater success against righties than Phillips (.268/.298/.493), who again would be forced to sit while Giambi played the field.

Speaking of which, for all of those who believe that Giambi's strong performance as the team's primary DH this year has exposed his unerringly consistent DH/1B splits as a small-sample or injury-related fluke, I present his 2006 splits:

As 1B: .270/.443/.572
As DH: .227/.361/.577

Indeed, the best Yankee line-up is one with Giambi in the field and a strict Williams/Guiel platoon at DH (with Guiel occasionally swapping positions with Abreu against righties). That set-up will limit Andy Phillips' starts to games Chien-Ming Wang pitches against his fellow righties, when the difference between Phillips and Guiel at the plate and the difference between Phillips and Giambi in the field make the defense-first arrangement more appropriate than it is against lefties.

As for Cory Lidle, I'm adopting a wait and see approach here. Normally, Lidle wouldn't be a pitcher I'd want on my staff. But as the man who will replace Sidney Ponson in the rotation, I'm happy to have him. That said, here's a quick comparison of Lidle, Ponson and Shawn Chacon using their career numbers entering this year (ages in parentheses):

Name

Age

ERA+

K/9

BB/9

K/BB

WHIP

Cory Lidle

34

99

5.53

2.33

2.37

1.32

Sidney Ponson

29

94

5.42

3.01

1.80

1.44

Shawn Chacon

28

100

6.06

4.60

1.32

1.48

That's a modest improvement to be sure. Indeed, Lidle could easily bomb just as badly as those other two, but the Yankees simply could not go forward with their existing options for the final spot in the rotation and, at the very least, Lidle, unlike Chacon or Ponson, did not pitch his way out of his team's rotation. In fact, his last two starts have been stellar. Against the hot-hitting Braves and Diamondbacks in hitter-friendly Citizen's Bank Park, Lidle posted the following line over two starts: 16 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 HR, 1 BB, 13 K. It can't hurt to give this guy a try, especially given the fact that he's piggy-backed on the Abreu deal, which would have been a more than fair deal for the Yankees even without Lidle. That said, Brian Cashman has been quoted as saying that he would not have made the trade had he not gotten a starting pitcher as well.

Lidle's last start for the Phillies came this past Thursday, so he'll be on regular rest on Tuesday if needed, and available to pitch in any game after that. Even before Randy Johnson's poor performance on Saturday, Joe Torre had decided to give the Big Unit an extra day of rest this upcoming week by starting Ponson against the Blue Jays on Thursday despite the fact that the Yankees won't need a fifth starter again until Saturday in Baltimore. Thus I believe we can expect Lidle to slip right into Ponson's Thursday start, with Sir Sidney getting a one-way ticket out of town. Indeed, as soon as the Yankees announced that they were going to skip the fifth spot in the rotation until after the trading deadline, I was pretty sure that Ponson would not be taking another turn for the Yanks.

Speaking of guys leaving town, here's the skinny on the four minor leaguers going the other way:

Matt Smith you know. He's the guy with the 0.00 career major league ERA in 12 innings. I like the look of the left-handed Smith, who also posted a 2.08 ERA in Columbus this year with solid peripherals (22 Ks, 8 BB, 27 H, 3 HR in 26 IP), but he is 27 years old and the Yankees consistently (and, it's beginning to appear, foolishly) promoted righty T.J. Beam over him. I had a feeling Smith was going to be involved in any trade the Yankees might have pulled off and, since they weren't going to use him out of the big-league pen (most of those 12 scoreless innings came in junk time), they've done well to use him this way.

C.J. Henry was the Yankees' top pick in the 2005 amateur draft. A high school shortstop, Henry was a tools pick in a draft that focused heavily on the more reliable track records of college pitchers. After an unimpressive professional debut with the Rookie League Gulf Coast Yankees last summer, notable only for his 17 steals in 48 games, the 20-year-old Henry struggled mightily with the low-A Charleston RiverDogs this year, hitting just .237/.326/.350 with 86 strikeouts in 76 games. With Henry blocked at short by the Yankee Captain, the Yanks decided to cut bait before the shine came off his first-round status. If only they had done the same with 2000 first-round pick David Parrish, who was surreptitiously released by the Clippers earlier this year after compiling a career minor league line almost identical to Henry's Charleston numbers (he's since been picked up by the Pirates' double-A club in Altoona where, at age 27, he's hitting for the first time since college).

The other two players going to Philadelphia were signed by the Yankees as international free agents out of the Dominican Republic in 2004. Carlos Monasterios is a 20-year-old right-hander who pitched well for the Yankees' Dominican League team in 2005 and for the GCL Yanks this year, but did so primarily in relief. Jesus Sanchez is an 18-year-old catcher who didn't hit a lick for the Dominican Yankees in 2005 and was hitting just .264/.343/.319 with the Gulf Coast Yankees this year. If he ever had any real value to the organization, which I doubt, he was made expendable by the recent signing of 16-year-old catching uberprospect Jesus Montero.

The Yankees assume the remainder of Abreu's salary for this season, which comes to $4.4 million, and will owe him $15 million for next season. Abreu has a $16 million option for 2008 with a $2 million buyout, but the Yankees were not required to pick it up as a part of the deal as the Phillies instead paid him $1.5 million to waive his no-trade clause. Lidle, meanwhile, is on the final year of a two-year deal. The Yankees will owe him $1.117 million for the remainder of the season, less than they're paying Octavio Dotel or Tanyon Sturtze, never mind that Pavano guy.

By the way, since we're on the subject of recent deals between the Phillies and Yankees, I just realized that I never weighed in on the Sal Fasano acquisition. Basically Fasano and Kelly Stinnett are the same player except that Fasano has a smidge more pop in his bat and is a year and a half younger. He also has an inferior track record--though once a catcher hits 35, as Fasano will in a couple of weeks, just one week before Posada does, what they've done lately is far more significant than what they did in their 20s. What worries me most about the move, however, is the fact that the reason Fasano was available in the first place is that he was Pipped by Chris Coste while on the DL with inflamation in his left knee. Knee trouble in a 35-year-old catcher with a weight problem is baaaad news. I'm pretty sure it's not worth that risk for whatever negligible improvement Fasano offers. As for the player sent to the Phillies for big Sal, Hector Made is a 21-year-old A-ball middle infielder with no discernable hitting ability.

What They are Sayin'

Another fine job by Cliff. Here are what the morning papers have on the Abreu deal:

Joe said yesterday that Bernie will return to the role they originally envisioned for him, as a pinch-hitter and occasional backup OFer. We'll see if that actually happens...

I don't see Joe platooning Guiel with Abreu. He wouldn't even platoon him with Bernie. Besides, if you're paying a guy $15 million a year, he probably plays every day.

If I had to bet, I'd guess it's going to be Guiel headed for Columbus today, since he has minor league options left, and Crosby doesn't.

Don't like the idea of Giambi playing 1B. He was never great, and he's fallen off a cliff the past couple of years. Not only that, he seems to come up injured far too often whenever he plays defense. At 35, it's not going to get any better.

1 I think he's the guy who brings George his Calzones or something. Not sure though.

2 Worry about Sheff when he is healthy. He might not make it back to anything useful this year.

3 I'll believe it (the Bernie role) when I actually see it. My nightmare has Melky sitting if he goes into a slump again so that EGOB (Everyday GOB) can get ABs and bring his veteran presence to the field. Never mind Melky just had a near .900 OPS for July.

4 Re: Sheff. Very true, especially since so many see the Abreu signing as a kiss off to Sheff. Newsday has an article today claiming that someone close to Sheff said, "Why should Gary jeopardize his future trying to get back if the organization isn't committed to him?"

Wow. What a steal. I first heard about the trade from my dad late last night, and other than Smith, he didn't know any of the minor leaguers who went to the Phillies. I was worried about who the Yanks gave up, but now that I know who it was, never mind.

The only thing about this deal that concerns me, is what happens to Melky next year?

Obviously, he's a viable MLB hitter and an outfielder with a strong accurate arm. And at 22, my money is on him to improve.

So if the Yank have Matsui/Damon/Abreu in the outfield for '07 at least, and mostlikely '08, Cabrera is not going to improve on the bench or as a part time role-player/insurance policy. He's a starter now and if they Yanks don't use him as one, it's best that they try to move him for some pitching help in the off-season.

Unless MLB suddenly imposes a salary cap, or George Steinbrenner decides there are better ways to invest $13 million dollars than banking on one of the most prolific sluggers in the game, Gary Sheffield is going to be a New York Yankee in 2007.

That's my prediction, but, of course, it is also contingent upon Sheffield coming back healthy, swinging and hitting something very much like the hitter Steinbrenner fell in love with all those RBI ago.

I wouldn't bet against Sheffield, would you? Seriously? A hitter with that much talent, that much to prove, and a chip the size of Bobby Abreu on his shoulder? Don't you know by now? You can't beat Sheff with heat.

Thinking the opposite of many, if not most observers, I believe the Abreu signing is more likely going to motivate Sheffield.

I imagine Sheff is more determined than ever this morning to get back in the batter's box and remind all who would dare to doubt him how dangerous he can be with a bat in his hands.

Yanks fans should be praying that Sheffield's healing wrist allows him to return to form, and that Steinbrenner's healthy wallet allows him to remain a Yankee.

If those prayers are answered, where Sheff plays, and how often will be Torre's problem, if you can possibly consider that a problem.

7, 9 If Melky can now play CF then I think you can basically rotate him through the OF spots next year, giving the one sitting a break as DH. If not, he can rotate with Matsui and Abreu. If we signed Sheff too, that complicates things, but I don't think we are going to.

So Melky could play basically everyday, if Joe used him correctly. The chances of that though....

Props to Ca$hman for the deal. He was patient and knew that he had Gillick over a barrel because Gillick desparetly wanted to move Burell or Abreu. I think the best part is that the Yankees dont have to pick up the $16M option and the buyout is only $2M.

Regarding Sheff, it still in his interests to get back and prove people that he hasnt lost much. He cant just sit-out the rest of the year because he has to prove he still has it. He was already slowing declining offensively and at 38 and with his stroke the wrist is crucial. With his lacklustre D, he is not worth $13M next year despite his claims that he is in the best 5 players in baseball. I also believe he wants to stay a Yankee. Even though he is not the prototypical yankee he likes the clubhouse and would like to stay. While his option will not be picked up, he could command 7-8M as a DH/Occasional RF if he can prove his wrist is OK. But with Giambi as the primary DH and Bobby in RF, Sheff will not be in pinstripes next year especially with the Rise of the Melkman. If Giambi was able to play 110-120 Games at 1B next year it would be possible to use Sheff as a DH. But thats asking a lot of Giambi and despite some suggestion I dont think Shef At 1B is viable.

We also shouldnt overlook Lidle in this. He may become as valuable as Abreu in the short-term. If he can eat 6+IP every 5th night with close to league Avg ERA that would not only save the Bullpen (notably Proctor's right arm), but also make that 5th starter position an asset rather than a liability for the Yankees.

This trade in no way assures the Yankees a free pass into the post season. However, I think Cashman made a real nice move that should make him bulletproof for at least another season. Getting an outfielder and a fifth starter without giving up any of your top ten prospects AND no one off your 25 man roster speaks either to Cashman's negotiating skills or the Phillies' desperation in getting rid of Abreu's contract.

"[The Yankees] should be calling the A's about Barry Zito. . . . Dontrelle Willis appears to be off limits. . . . But it couldn't hurt to call. While Brian Cashman is at it, check in with Houston one last time for a shot in the dark at Roger Clemens. . . . What this shows is that the Yankees have to start producing more of their own starters. They have to develop more Chien-Ming Wangs instead of buying more Randy Johnsons - or acquiring more Bobby Abreus."

He actually advocates bringing in superstars and not bringing in superstars in the same column. I'd love to be a sports writer - get paid to hang out at Yankee Stadium and write columns that don't even have to make sense.

14 I think what he is saying makes sense. Basically, when he is talking about calling about Clemens or Zito he is clearly talking about our current situation. The latter statement is clearly stating that we need to avoid this need by developing more in-house talent in terms of starting pitching.

14 Yeah, I read that mess. I don't know if it's the Post's sports editor's doing in assigning columns or that Kernan is simply a dope but I consistently ask myself if the guy is a knucklehead after I read his columns.

As for next year, I hear this guy Zito will be available and I know a team that could use some pitching (who couldn't?). Bye bye, Mr. Sheffield, you've been terrific but it's time to part ways. The priorities have changed.

The mainstream media, from the NY paper hounds to the ESPN haters, are already churning up agita for Sheffield. If they're not already digging his Bronx grave with their hot breath, or scribbling his Yankees obituary on the clubhouse wall, they're suggesting he learn to play first base or else.

The season is long, and the injuries can pile up fast. There are enough innings and DH at-bats to go around among Matsui, Damon, Abreu, Sheffield, and Melky.

As Cliff sagely notes above, the Yanks will maximize Giambi's productivity by increasing his innings at first base, which means Sheff slides into the primary DH role. Is $13 million too much for that role? Too much for batting order insurance? Of course, but it's also too much to pay Abreu, Damon, and Matsui. It's also too much to pay $8 for a hot Premio sausage, $8.50 for Becks beer, or how many millions for an ice cold Pavano?

Sheff's bat is a bigtime Bronx-proven luxury item that any team in the league would be lucky to employ, but few can afford.

Let's help the Yanks keep Sheffield, and let's help Sheffield stay motivated by supporting his comeback, and refusing to write his obituary.

1. The Abreu deal is another aspect of the new approach the Yankees have been taking the last 15 months -- and if they follow in the same vein, don't be surprised if they exercise the $13 million option on Gary Sheffield for 2007.

The Yankees made a mistake in letting Jon Lieber get away after the 2004 season. They could've retained him had they exercised a one-year, $8 million option, but they thought that Lieber wasn't worth that kind of annual salary. And they were right, partly; Lieber didn't get an $8 million salary. He got a $6 million salary, for each of the three years, from the Phillies.

Here's the lesson: It would've made more sense for the Yankees to overpay Lieber somewhat on a short-term deal, rather than go out and spend $40 million on a Carl Pavano in a long-term deal.

So as you consider the landscape for the free-agent market this fall, you see Carlos Lee perhaps in line for $75 million over five years, Alfonso Soriano looking at $65 million over five years. Abreu may not be as dynamic as either of those players, offensively, and he may be overpaid slightly for his power production, at $15 million for next year. But the obligation is only for one year.

Now Sheffield's option is about to come due, for $13 million, and there is no question he is a productive player. Don't be surprised now if the Yankees exercise the option -- this way, they can limit their long-term obligation, while still having a very solid offensive player.

And it may be that as Sheffield comes back, they will try the former shortstop and third baseman at first base. This is the Yankees wielding their financial power -- only a couple of teams would've even been in position to consider the Abreu deal -- but in a different manner.

2. Abreu may or may not hit for a lot of power while in New York, he may or may not produce like a $15 million player. But there is no question that the addition of Abreu is going to transform the Yankees' lineup into an absolute meatgrinder against starting pitchers because of his extended at-bats, as the Red Sox lineup was in 2004. Abreu will be the Yankees' version of Kevin Youkilis in this regard, except he's going to hit in the middle of the lineup.

The average number of pitches per plate appearance in the big leagues is around 3.75. Consider how tough the Yankees' lineup will be once Sheffield and Hideki Matsui come back from their injuries:

Pitches per plate appearance (with current major league ranking in parenthesis, when applicable).

That means an average. 34.79 pitches to get through the order one time. You can forsee a scenario in which opposing starters need 19-22 pitches consistently to get through innings. That means the starters will go out more quickly, and the Yankees' hitters will have chances to feast on the soft middle-relief underbellies of opposing teams."

The offseason priority will be pitching which will cost more pretty pennies (for a team already sporting a disgracefully bloated payroll). I can't see them enduring Sheff's ego when they can let him walk. Given his wrist injury and the fact that he will not be a priority you need to prepare yourself for the liklihood that he will not be here in '07. I'd also be surprised if they didn't prioritize a 1B glove. Giambi is a butcher and Phillips appears to be persona non grata.

Hey, I like Shef but I don't see how in the world he fits on this team next year. Barring some significant player movement via major trades, there's no supportable role for him. And if I'm wrong I'll say so.

Again I agree with Cliff and the others who feel this was a good trade for the Yankees. Abreu is a good player who will be extremely useful. To me Lidle is the real prize though. If he can just give 6 to 7 decent innings, the Yankees should pick up an extra win or two and the bullpen will get a rest. Good job by Cashman getting these players without giving up a high level prospects.

17 $13 million is too much for Sheffield. He was overpaid from the jump. There was no great demand for him and no one was going to pay that malcontent close to that much money. The most he would have made $8 million per year. Sheffield was lucky that George was infatuated with his bat. Now that the Yankees about to get out from under that contract and he is essentially a DH, they would be crazy to pick up his option.

5 If Sheffield really feels that way, he is a dope. If he doesn't play again this season, he will discover that his market value in the off season will be Frank Thomas like.

21, 22 I said it before, but I'll say it again. We don't have to make a decision on Sheff right now. Lets see how he performs when/if he comes back and where we are at the end of the season. There's too much unknown at this point to make any kind of decision.

19 Thanks Alex. Buster makes a good point. Its likely to be a weak free agent class next year. Also, the Yankees can get burned more easily in terms of long term deals because of the NY factor: some just can't hack it here. One year of Sheff slightly overpaid is much better than 3-5 years of someone else who might underperform.

With Sheff/Giambi as a DH/1B platoon next year the only player left out is Melky, but I think assuming our OF will remain healthy is very optimistic. So his age 22 year starts as a 4th OF, but he'll break in. Then you can get rid of Bubba, keep someone like Phillips or Cairo for IF utility and LIDR and actually build a real bench from there.

Over the last few weeks we have been reading requests similar to the following:

Get us a corner OF...
CHECK
and make sure he is a .300/.400/.500 guy...
CHECK
and make sure he has a good arm...
CHECK
and has some speed...
CHECK
and make sure he can replace Sheff if he never fully recovers...
CHECK
but we really need a 5th starter, too...
CHECK
but most importantly we don't want to give up any of our major league talent...
CHECK
plus, we don't want to give up Phillip Hughes...
CHECK
come to think of it, we don't want to give up any of our top prospects...
CHECK
and how about free season tickets to everyone on the Bronx Banter?
I'M WORKING ON IT

Cash deserves a lot of credit for this one. I am sure some people will still find something they don't like about this trade (what no free beer at the stadium?), but you have to admit he answered most of our needs without giving up the farm. Keep up the good work Cash and keep tuning in to the Banter, we'll let you know where to send those tickets.

24 But one year of $13 million while letting Melky develop is better than signing someone for 4 years at $60-70 million who might be a bust, no?

What is the aversion to paying for a good DH? Ortiz, Thome all make good money. The fact that the ChiSox were willing to overpay a bit for Thome has made that lineup that much more dangerous. In the AL its a position, just like any other. You fill it with the best available player. We could do a lot worse than one year of a healthy Sheffield.

22 & 28 My favortie movie. I can almost hear Sheffield saying: "You want me on this team, you NEED me on this team!" or "I play rightfield 300 feet from 4000 fans that are trained to boo me, so don't think you can trade for Bobby Abreu and make me nervous!"

Anyone else get the feeling that Epstein is about to make a big move for the Sawx, who are surely feeling the heat coming from the BRonx?

Last night was a defining momentum shift, but that could once again shift back to Boston if Epstein makes a splash.

I was listening to Mike & Mike on ESPN this morning and someone (Olney?) mentioned that the Sawx might be in the hunt for Soriano and then move him to RF. That doesn't worry me as much as this does:

The Giants have now lost 7 straight, have a black cloud hanging over them in Bonds, might be falling out of the WC race, and have a huge commodity waiting to be traded if they decide to do so -- Jason Schmidt.

Something tells me Theo is kicking the tires on aquring him to fit in between Shelling and Beckett.

A Sheff prediction? Um, I predict that Sheff will riff to the media about being underappreciated and then I predict that he'll hit the cover off the ball for someone, somewhere. I've enjoyed watching Sheff play an awful lot so it'd be a bummer if he's played his last game in pinstripes. Be interesting if they do what Olney suggests, and pick up his 2007 option. I sure wouldn't complain if they did, though playing with just a one-year deal would likely ignite Sheff to the press.

Sheffield : "You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Abreu's acquisition, while tragic, probably saves the playoffs. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves next year. You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me in right field, you need me in right field. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the offensive power that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said, "Thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a bat and man a position. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!

33 Either way, the next 5 hours should be entertaining ones. I'm all for the Sox falling on their face today.

Prediction - Theo will engineer an 8-team trade that will involve Mike Lowell moving to 3 separate teams in 4 different time zones only to wind up back in Boston by next Wednesday playing 2 postions at the same time. Gabe Kapler will be moved to the starting rotation and Matt Clement will shave that silly pube patch from under his chin thereby adding 2.6 miles to his fastball. Theo will be heralded a hero by Red Sux Nation for incredible calm in holding the fort as the Sox coast to another wild card berth on the back of a Big Papi clutch steal of home in the 9th inning of game 163.

29 Agreed. I thought that I read someplace that starting DH was one of the higher paid positions in the AL, which makes sense if a team carries basically another starting 1B bat for the job. Unfortunately, the Yankees in the last few years seem to have forgotten the 'hitter' part of DH. If they want real production out of that spot, they have to pay the $$.

I think Sheff comes back in pinstripes next year. You know he's going to ask for at least a two year deal, maybe even a 3-year deal, on the open market, at big bucks (at least $12 mil/year). Who would pay that for a 38-year-old coming off an injury to his right wrist, the source of all his power?

What I like best about this trade, is not having to give up Melki. I thought for sure philly would require an MLB ready outfielder (and I think the Yankees might have done it had they held out another day!)

I agree in saying we should hold onto Sheff for 07, the guy is just money...and really, to see him go to Boston with a chance for revenge isnt a pretty thought.

48 I can't see any reason why he can't play first. I mean, in the 'old days' managers used slot aging players at 1B all the time. The question is whether he can play it well enough to be a defensive upgrade over Giambi (I suspect yes). If yes, then you can play Giambi at DH and Sheff at 1B. If not, then you switch them. If they they are both bad at first, then you need to carry a defensive replacement (the perfect role for Andy?).

Sheff should be DH bound no matter where he goes, unless he stays in right for someone else. Ever since he pinned bubba up against the wall to end our season last year, ive seen him as a liability in the field. And at 38, coming off a wrist injury, it just makes sense. The guys never been a great fielder to my knowledge, and his value as a DH is huge.

I agree, we should be paying for a BIG DH hitter like everyone else (White/RedSox).

3542 Actually, the Tigers' acquisition of Casey was a brilliant one, especially since they needed to give up only a double-A reliever. DY's re-emergence made them a bit less desparate, but a recovering addict is always high-risk. Besides, Marcus Thames has reverted to .177/.261/.403 in July, so the there is plenty of room for Casey and Young at 1B/DH. With Casey, Young, Thames and Monroe, the Tigers are 4-deep at LF/1B/DH, not a bad place to be. As for Red Pop (a nickname that only a Michigander will appreciate), he has put up will-below-league-average numbers since May, and has recently looked lost at the plate, and some time in Toledo may do him will. Casey and Young are both free agents next year, so the Tigers are certainly not eager to deal Shelton.

I decided to listen to the WFAN, they stream via the net, I wanted to hear what Mike and the Puppy were going to say....I can't believe I put myself through this punishment and listen to Russo be a f'ing c*ck.

Dimelo, it's always too tempting to check in on Mike & MD but, really, it's a lose-lose proposition, especially now that Francesa has turned into Mike Lupica. Russo's act is so stale that I hope he realizes he wouldn't have a viable career other than the precise situation he's in right now: Mets station as an agent provocateur Yankee-hater to entertain those bitter Mets fans who actually think (just cause he's a hater) that he gives a flying f**k about their home team (he doesn't). Put him in Cleveland or any other one-team town and he's working as a roofer. I wonder if he's tried unsuccessfully to get a gig in SF. But, then again, maybe his Giants man-crush is just another flimsy act. Take my advice, never turn the dial to 660. You're better off.

52 Tough one, bp1. I'd almost go with Shef, I think he's a bit speedier than Jason, but Jason's younger -- although they're both breaking down.
I really don't see Jason getting moved anywhere unless the Yanks eat a huge part of his contract. I can't imagine Steinbrenner swallowing that.

I think the Red Sox are feeling lots of media pressure to make a deal to match the Yanks' pickup of Abreu - thanks, 'EEI and other Boston-panic-inducing media outlets!! - and I bet, if they do make a deal, they will pay a lot more than the Yanks did.

57 Great deal for Braves. Jones is a chronic injury on the bad side of his career. Unless they can get him to start working out with Gabe Kapler :), his inevitable decline is clearly in sight. Bad thing is he'd have Ortiz as his mentor, making sure he'd reach for that clutch double cheeseburger when he's stetching before each game.

57 Hard to believe.
Andruw is under contract next year plus an option the following year (is this right? I'm relying on memory). At the moment he's a great player at a good price -- lots of power and his glove speaks for itself -- but surely his value starts to drop fast after that even if the Sawx could expect to sign him up again. And Lester just looks too good, esp. to a team like Boston with a very dubious rotation.
Drop Lester from the deal and I can see Theo pulling the trigger. But I bet the Braves want Lester bad.

I love this addition. Yanks are more fun to watch when they run and don't stand around waiting for HR's. My top four goes Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Arod...all can steal a base here and there and all get on base a lot. Lineup is scary as it stands, add in Sheffield and watch out. Melky needs to be in mix next year so either DH Matsui or, if proven healthy this year, deal him for a starter or bullpen help next year. If you deal him, you could keep Sheff as DH if money is no object or just let Sheff walk and fill in as needed.

It would have been preferable to land a quality starter for those prospects, but failing that, I think Cashman did a good job.

68 Just showed that to a guy in my office who's a Jets season ticket holder. He laughed his Jets lovin'ass off. Wants to at least buy the guy a beer.
If enough Jet fans see this offer guy won't have to buy a single round next season.

That link is hilarious. I was with him until he got to the skirt and lack of retaliation.

Im a HUGE Jets fan, and id even CONSIDER wearing it for a free ticket, but id have to attack anyone whistling.

Is it just me, or is this guy crazy for even attending games where his ex and her new guy are rows away? All I need is 1 reason like this to get off the broken Jets bandwagon ive been hitched to all these years.

SportsNation Rob Neyer: (1:17 PM ET ) I know a lot of Yankee fans, and generally they're nice people. But make no mistake: if the Yankees could have a $500 million payroll and every other team was limited to $25 million, every Yankee fan would be thrilled.

71 pistolpete, I don't know about Russo, but Rob Neyer over at ESPN.com sure did. He called the deal "unsporting." Am I missing something? Should Cashman have told Gillick, "Gee, that trade would really help our team, but it wouldn't be fair to the other teams, so I have to pass"? Is Steinbrenner the only rich owner in the league? Are the other owners working second jobs just to support their beer vendors?

Neyer also took a swipe at Yankee fans, lamenting how we wish the Yanks could have a $500 million payroll while all the other teams are capped at $25 million. Of course we do! Does he think Red Sox fans are demanding that Theo lower their payroll? Are Royals fans sitting around saying to themselves, "Sure, our team sucks, but at least we get to be noble. All we really care about it competitive balance and egalitarianism."

Plus, as far as I can tell, this deal doesn't really push the Yankees' payroll much higher. Abreu gives them the option to let Sheff walk, plus Lidle is only making a few million and is soon a free agent. Or we can keep him and cut bait on Jaret Wright.

For supposedly being a part of the movement to bring more logic and reason to how we think about baseball, guys like Neyer have no perspective or objectivity when it comes to the NYY.

"For supposedly being a part of the movement to bring more logic and reason to how we think about baseball, guys like Neyer have no perspective or objectivity when it comes to the NYY." Seriously, that has always been a major, major problem with the "sabermetric project": you only become interested in sabermetrics if you're a fan and, thus, you can't escape the parochialism that characterizes being a fan. The late, lamented Don Malcolm fought the good fight on this particular issue, i.e., even the best sabermetricians (yes, Bill James)don't try very hard to rid their work of fan bias. Neyer is, admittedly, the worst example of this. Sad thing is, he's willfully ignorant about it.

76 Yeah, the skirt killed it for me. Plus the fact I live in Toledo (oh boy, all those Lions' games on tv) and that I'm a Giants fan.

They guy actually needs to get some hot young things to go the games with him. Maybe do some dumpster diving at Jeter's place.

This is one of the really fun parts of the baseball season; especially with the wild card so many teams are/think they are in it. Every team has weaknesses, so now they all have to figure out ways to fix their flaws.

7988 Actually ESPNC did a piece awhile back on the 5 reasons you can't blame Steinbrenner for the parity problem in baseball. One of the reasons given was that plenty of other teams make close to what the Yankees do but don't invest back into the product. I can't remember which crappy team it is, but one of them is owned by the owner of Wal-Mart. Couldn't that guy funnel a bit of money into his team? He could, but he doesn't.

Until teams like KC, TB and their ilk spend the bulk of their revenue sharing dollars on the team I don't want to hear it. So long as that money is ending up in the owners' and executives pockets they have nothing to complain about.

88 Moving back to Durham, NC after graduating from Duke, I've found its easiest to wear a Durham Bulls hat. Everyone hates Duke, everyone hates the Yankees, but no one can hate DaBulls. Especially when their opening night attendance (around 15K) outdrew the big league team's home game that night.

Even better, the only Yankees jersey I own is #42. Because people will start to bitch at me for wearing a Yankees jersey, until I turn around and they don't see the hated #2, #13, or players like that. Rivera demands, and gets respect, even from the biggest haters.

90 As far as the Wal-Mart owner being a cheapskate, no surprise there. I believe five of the heirs to the Walton forture are billionaires, yet they give a pittance to charitable causes. As Buffett and Gates have shown, not all billionaires are created equal.

"I can't remember which crappy team it is, but one of them is owned by the owner of Wal-Mart. Couldn't that guy funnel a bit of money into his team? He could, but he doesn't." That's David Glass. He owns the Royals. Surprised? Now you know why Neyer acts the way he does...on top of his childhood hatred for the Yankees destroying his favorite team's playoff hopes year after year (except 1980).

90 Dave Pinto at Baseball Musings had a good piece on that too. He wrote a piece during interleague play where he basically said the reason the AL is dominating so much is that all AL teams have to compete against the Yanks, in the NL there is no Yankee team to compete against - hence why they can get away with putting the bare minimums into their teams. They don't have the Yankees to compete against, and to a lesser extent the Red Sox.

I haven't owned a pro jersey since Mattingly, mostly because there's been no one around long enough or been as great for the amount of time that Rivera's been since #23. I'm getting close to picking up a #42, maybe before Christmas...

Obviously Jeter's an option as well, but I'm not a 14-yr old girl last I checked... ;-)

It's a good thing sabermetrics was developed by Bill James, a Royals fan, because if it had been introduced by a Yankees fan, the world would not have any idea what an OPS or ERA+ was. No sir, they wouldn't have any of it, no, thank you.

97 Agreed. My point is, I agree the Yankees have an advantage in terms of money, but that is principally because the team is run in the model of a major European soccer team in that it exists for the on the field product and the majority of profits are invested back into the team. There are a few other teams that seem to do that, such as the Red Sox, but the majority are run like American businesses whereby the maximum amount of money is taken out of the team. You don't think Ted Turner and his TBS revenues could match the Yankees if they wanted to?

Of course teams like KC will never be able to spend as much as the Yankees, but they could be spending a lot more than they do. Its their own choice to run out a AAA team and I'm sick and tired of people blaming the big, bad evil Yankees for it. I mean KC can't even beat TB! Now, a team like the Marlins might have a more legitemate gripe. They are putting a good product on the field and are always trying to field the best team they can (or rebuld for the future). It just sucks they are in a crappy location.

"Roger Clemens isn't asking for a trade, but a source told the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo that he wouldn't veto a deal to the Red Sox or Yankees.
The Providence Journal says Clemens has told friends he's sorry he picked the Astros over the Red Sox. Still, it's highly unlikely that he'll be traded before the deadline or in August."

At Roger's salary, the 'Stros could put him on waivers next month and the only two teams that could realistically grab him are the Sawx and Yanks. I almost hope that the Sawx keep that slim 1/2 game lead until the waivers deadline passes.

"The Providence Journal's Sean McAdam said on WEEI radio that the Red Sox have been in contact with Julio Lugo's agents to discuss a contract extension."

Nothing on this from the Boston Globe guys just yet. The D-Rays are going to have to scramble if they want to get something better than a couple of compensation draft picks for Lugo. One hour left.
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Lugo would be great for the Sawx. He'll definitely make that lineup better being their leadoff hitter.

101 Ted Turner doesn't own the Braves anymore. Sadly, it's owned by Time Warner. And, the Marlins are not a good example either since they are the direct result of Bud Selig's truly Evil Empire of franchises seeking to rape municipalities in order to get free stadia built by refusing to field a team with a payroll above the barest minimum. Besides George, the owner Selig hates most is Peter Magowan of the Giants, who built a stadium entirely with his own funds. Bud won't be inviting Magowan to his latest grandchild's bris anytime soon.

Three baseball sources say that Pirates RHP Kip Wells is on the verge of being traded to Boston, and that the two sides are ironing out details to get it done. A deal could be done at "any minute," a baseball source says.

106Having just stated being a Durham Bulls fan, I still cannot understand the inner workings of the D-Rays front office. They waited a year too long to trade their biggest chip in franchise history (Huff) and get back a middle of the road SS and back of the rotation starter. Next, they move their biggest prospect (Upton) to third base, and promptly do... nothing.

To complicate matters, their three big names in Durham (Upton, Young, and Dukes) have all recently griped about how they're still playing in AAA, how any other club would have them in the majors already, and that the D-Rays FO and Joe Maddon are basically bumbling fools.

So maybe the D-Rays will hang onto Lugo just in case Maddon decides to have Upton whacked. Such promising talent, such confusing actions by the FO.

Mike, the Phillies weren't going to win anything in '06 and probably not '07 as well. Pat Gillick has decided his biggest job is just to get rid of the contracts and bad vibes the Ed Wade regime left him. I don't necessarily disagree, but I'm still surprised they got so little for their salary dump. I'm not particularly high on any of the four prospects they got from the Yankees, and I've been a Matt Smith fan for a while actually.

"The Sox are also looking for cheap outfield help as a backup in case tests on Trot Nixon come up with a poor result. There are several names in play, including Craig Wilson, Geoff Jenkins, and Moises Alou. The question here will be price and fit. The Sox, even if Nixon is out for the year, could go with Gabe Kapler and Wily Mo Pena if the price is too high on an acquisition."

My hunch is that the BoSox go with the latter solution, but I'm surprised how little action there has been on Alou.

90 David Glass is the guy you're talking about - former CEO and President of Wal-Mart who, sadly, owns the Royals.

To bring it all full-circle, Neyer grew up (and remains) a Royals fan.

The sarcasm I found in the comment Knuckles quoted in 78 is that, IMHO, Neyer doesn't think for a moment that that situation isn't true for many fans of any team. I've found his strange sense of sarcastic humor is often targeted at getting a rise out of people who he feels shouldn't worry about what he thinks. (I believe he said as much once in a book of his, or a radio interview - can't remember which.) And, of course, he got quite a rise out of a number of Yankee fans with that one.

Wow, you guys sound like a bunch of victims. The Yankees pull of a steal of a deal and are sitting pretty for a stretch run at their 12th straight playoff appearance and the thread degenerates into complaining about Yankee-haters and how tough it is to be a fan of the hated Yankees. Poor babies.

88 Was the topper: "As Yankees fans we'll never be in the right, we'll never have anyone's sympathy, and we'll never gain any former haters as converts. I laugh whenever someone claims it's 'easy' to be a Yankees fan. To me it's easy being a KC Royals fan. No expectations, no hope, and no one hates your guts for wearing a 'KC' hat..."

Pete, I'd love to see just how long you'd last rooting for a hopeless club like the Royals. The Yankees have 26 World Championships, a endless parade of Hall of Fame talent, have been in the playoffs every year for more than a decade, and have averted what appeared to be a impending collapse due to the sudden emergence of a crop of young home grown talent (from Tabata to Cabrera) and Brian Cashman's masterful palace coup resulting in a drastically improved organizational approach.

Do you guys really need the Mad Dog Russo's of the world to say nice things about the team as well? What is this a Sally Field convention? Remember what Jeter always says, boos on the road are like cheers at home. If Russo and Neyer et al. had legitimate on-field criticisms of the deal, that would be one thing, but you really need to thicken your skin a bit when guys trying to fill air/chat time take a few cheap shots.

That puts Milledge up in the bigs as the everyday RF . . . despite the pitching help, which the Mets clearly need now, it leaves their OF pretty thin if, say, Cliff Floyd gets hurt between now and October. I don't see a team winning the Serious while playing an Endy Chavez/Eli Marrero combination in RF or LF.

Hmmm, Clemens?
The Astros would want a bat or two, but the thing is, he'd only be a two, er three, a three month rental. If Shef comes back next year as a OF/1b, does Cashman trade Duncan? Maybe throw Bubba in there as well? Or would the Astros want more? There really isn't much expendable for NY -- until Matsui comes back we need Melky.

Hmmm, Clemens?
The Astros would want a bat or two, but the thing is, he'd only be a two, er three, a three month rental. If Shef comes back next year as a OF/1b, does Cashman trade Duncan? Maybe throw Bubba in there as well? Or would the Astros want more? There really isn't much expendable (who's good) for NY -- until Matsui comes back we need Melky.

131 I don't know, I have to give Minaya my respect. While not every deal he's made has worked out, he's made a lot of moves and really built the Mets into an exciting team. Its hard to fault him (cue about a million posts tearing him down now).

138 Well, Ramon Hernandez would have been a better choice than Lo Duca, so you can't really point to that as evidence of a preference for Latin players on the part of Minaya. The Mets roster is more heavily Latin than I think any other team's, but it's not as if it is that at the expense of winning. Adding guys like Beltran, Pedro, and Delgado were just plain smart baseball moves.

141 Execellent point, Johnny. It's like my Yankee-heavy fantasty team that is just points out of third place in a 12-team league. It's what I know and the Yankees happen to have a lot of valuable players.

143 In general, sarcasm (definition: saying the opposite of what you mean for humorous effect implied by tone of voice) doesn't translate particularly well in text-only formats, but beyond that, I'm not sure 131 qualifies as sarcasm. Sarcasm would have been something like "It's a shame Minaya refuses to trade for any Latino players."

"The Twins are in rapid-fire discussions with the Nationals regarding Alfonso Soriano. The offers center around pitching, with Matt Garza and Scott Baker the keys. The Twins offered Jason Kubel in the deal in lieu of Garza, but were rebuffed. I'm told that the Twins have informed Torii Hunter that he's being offered around; his option, if declined, would help "pay for" Soriano."

We should know within minutes what Jim Bowden ultimately settles for with Soriano. My guess is that the Twins would rather stand pat than part with Garza.

119 "In other words, get over it."
Whoa whoa whoa, where's the hostility coming from? To put it simply, I was stating a fact of life - more so than bitching about it. I've come to accept the fact that I root for a team that most other baseball fans despise, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Yankees fans can't always be surrounded by 50,000 of our like-minded counterparts, and they can't help but feel a little persecuted when the most popular national sports news outlet seemingly has it out for your favorite team. Russo's obviously an avoidable entity ( what with my XM radio subscription), and I can see right through his insane hypocrisy so it doesn't bother me as much as it used to.

Criticism of a trade/FA signing with regards to the particulars is one thing - criticism of a trade/signing simply because the Yankees were able to pull it off where other teams couldn't is quite another. Maybe, as Yankees fans, we're just more than a little defensive because the Rob Neyers and Jim Caples of the world are constantly beating the 'Yankees are the Great Satan' point into the ground every chance they get.

Time and time again we hear the 'Yankees are ruining' baseball cliche, yet somehow the other 29 teams still manage to bring in billions of dollars a year & attract scores of fans to view their product. AND keep adding more franchises & building more stadiums to boot.

The 'KC Royals' comment was a bit of (albeit grossly understated) sarcasm on my part - of course I wouldn't ask to take on the burden of having to root for such a god-awful franchise, but then again if I had the choice, why would I? I feel blessed to have been brought up a Yankees fan by my parents, and I plan to do the same with any offspring I may produce.

But interesting that my half-joke of a post got such a rise out of you - guess you can relate to how we all feel when we read a Neyer column, huh? ;-)

Wow, everything coming in so quickly. A few ways to look at the Wilson trade: its Eduardo Sierra and Ramon Ramirez for Craig Wilson. Also, three weeks ago the Pirates would have wanted Hughes, Tabata, and Cashman's firstborn. The last few days have to be the best in Cashman's time with the Yankees.

188 Yesterday's quote from Schilling: "Today is one of those days where [the Yankees] make a huge deal, they win a game, I pitch like crap, we lose a game, and everybody is at the extremes," Schilling said. "As players, you just can't afford to do that."

196 Hey now, that's Mr. Willy Mo Strikeout, who could be playing RF for the Yankees right now if not for the Tampa faction's man-crush on Drew Henson. Or he could be playing for the Mets, had they not messed up his negotiations, causing him to sign with the Yanks.

199 I like Willy Mo, I really do, but he just strikes out WAAAAAY too much. Robbie has little plate discipline, but he doesn't K that much. If Willy Mo just had Robbie's ability to make contact and not strikeout, he'd be awesome.

I must say, Cashman did a phenomenal job. Remember two weeks ago when the Pirates and the Phillies were asking for people like Melky, Hughes and Tabata? Instead we get Abreu and Lidle for four non-factor prospects without having to pick up Abreu's option (and despite my early misgivings, this is a good trade). Then, having an extra crappy starter, we flip one of them for Craig Wilson, upgrading our 1B/backup OF to an .818 OPS.

See what happens when Cashman is in control? If Tampa had been we'd all be talking about whether or not Craig Wilson was worth Phillip Hughes right now.

197 Who would you rather have, Soriano or Sheffield? (I'm not just asking you, Bklyn, but everyone out there.)

I'd take Sheffield for the year via his option, and let the Mets sign Sori. I'm not convinced that Sori is ever going to repeat this year, and not that his usual is bad, but I'd rather have Sheff due to his superior OBP.

The decision not to trade Soriano just proves that Bowden is a buffoon. The Nationals can't afford Soriano. He isn't giving them any kind of hometown discount after Bowden embarassed him last off season. Poor National fans.

Sheffield should understand something - the Yankees needed to make preparations for the (potential) postseason, with or without him.

I would HOPE he's not sitting home brooding about it. If September 1st was the best he could do, it's really not good enough - and there's no guarantee he'll be the Gary we all know & love by the time October rolls around...

211 I don't think Sheff is as upset as the media is making him out to be. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that thinks he deserves hand-outs. He knows he's been out all year. He knows he has something to prove. He gets pissed when he doesn't have a contract after he has proven he can be reliable. I really don't think Sheff is that bad of a guy. I think he just likes job security. Right now, he's getting motivated for the playoffs. He knows what he has to do.

He has to look at it from the Yanks FO POV. If the Yanks "stand-pat" at the deadline, they might not make the playoffs. If the Yanks aren't playing in October, Sheff isn't playing in October. If Sheff isn't playing in October, his future is in question and he loses money. If these deals help the team, they help Sheff (as long as he can still rake).

He'll be fine. I want him on this team as much as I want DJ and Mo. He's that scary.

207 Hmmm. I probably have more patience with Soriano than most, maturity issues or not. There's the youth upside, too. I love Iron Sheff, but if I had to make the call, I'd go with Sori and keep my fingers crossed.

197 Who would you rather have, Soriano or Sheffield? (I'm not just asking you, Bklyn, but everyone out there.)

I'd take Sheffield for the year via his option, and let the Mets sign Sori. I'm not convinced that Sori is ever going to repeat this year, and not that his usual is bad, but I'd rather have Sheff due to his superior OBP.

211 I don't think Sheff is as upset as the media is making him out to be. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that thinks he deserves hand-outs. He knows he's been out all year. He knows he has something to prove. He gets pissed when he doesn't have a contract after he has proven he can be reliable. I really don't think Sheff is that bad of a guy. I think he just likes job security. Right now, he's getting motivated for the playoffs. He knows what he has to do.

He has to look at it from the Yanks FO POV. If the Yanks "stand-pat" at the deadline, they might not make the playoffs. If the Yanks aren't playing in October, Sheff isn't playing in October. If Sheff isn't playing in October, his future is in question and he loses money. If these deals help the team, they help Sheff (as long as he can still rake).

He'll be fine. I want him on this team as much as I want DJ and Mo. He's that scary.

228 Well, he ripped the trades (and a bunch of other moves), Cashman called him unprofessional, and completely made him look like the bumbling idiot he is by using actual facts, as in stats. And he used OPS, which is always good. Russo sucks.

228 Well, he ripped the trades (and a bunch of other moves), Cashman called him unprofessional, and completely made him look like the bumbling idiot he is by using actual facts, as in stats. And he used OPS, which is always good. Russo sucks.

228 Well, he ripped the trades (and a bunch of other moves), Cashman called him unprofessional, and completely made him look like the bumbling idiot he is by using actual facts, as in stats. And he used OPS, which is always good. Russo sucks.

Anyone think that Cashman's ability to get a good deal for Abreu caused other GM's to think they could get the same kind of deal for Soriano and thus dropping his value to the point that a deal could not be reached?

Cashman's not a genius for this deal. This is a blantent shiv in the back of Philedelphia baseball fans, who just recently built the team a brand new stadium. Their reward is to have their star hitter tossed overboard for a bunch of second-rate prospects and relief pitchers in a blatent salary dump. The role of the Yankees has less to do with Cashman than with cash; the Yankees were probably offered the most (i.e. more than basically nothing) amongst the very limited number of teams willing to take on all of Abreu's contract, probably due to greater perceived need and deeper pockets.

The stranger thing is that Cashman gets the credit for Abreu but much less for the much more impressive trade that brought Criag Wilson to New York. Getting anything at all for the dessicated remains of Shawn Cachon is a good day's work; getting a real hitter and valuable piece like Wilson is excellent GMing.

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